Holiday brought visitors, buyers aplenty to Hamptons
Gas prices may be high and consumer confidence plummeting, but that didn’t stop visitors from flocking to the East End and spending money this past Memorial Day weekend.
“We had a phenomenal weekend,” said Carolyn Papetti, general manager of Cittanuova, an East Hampton restaurant that saw Memorial Day weekend sales increase about 20 percent from last year. “We had record sales this weekend. We’re a little bit of a different restaurant compared to others. People can work their way through a menu of both affordable and fine dining.”
Aided by good weather, many merchants said their establishments were packed and several reported record sales despite fears that high energy costs and a struggling economy would significantly slow their usual summer business. While some customers shied away from the high-end items, they were buying, several shop owners and restaurant owners said.
Steph’s Stuff, an East Hampton gift store, also remained packed for most of the weekend, registering about a 30 percent increase in sales compared with last year’s Memorial Day weekend, said owner Stephanie Tekulsky. She figures that affordability played a part in her success. Most of the items in her store sell for between $1 and $50.
“I am one of the only affordable stores in town,” Tekulsky said. “Everything is fancy. . . . We’ve become mainly chains and lots and lots of expensive clothing stores.”
